


New Beginnings

by literaryempress



Series: Max and Isaac's Infinite Storybook [4]
Category: Shameless (US)
Genre: Alternate Universe - Future, Babies, Childhood, Destroying Childhood Memories, Family Fluff, Father Figures, Father-Son Relationship, Fatherhood, Fluff, Future Fic, M/M, Married Couple
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2015-11-17
Updated: 2015-11-17
Packaged: 2018-05-02 01:42:00
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 4,530
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/5229086
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/literaryempress/pseuds/literaryempress
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>In the wake of teaching Isaac how to speak, Mickey finds himself walking backwards into old memories.</p>
            </blockquote>





	New Beginnings

“Isaac…” Ian whispered in the baby boy’s ear as he slept in his crib. “Isaac…time to wake up, muffin.”

Ian found it fascinating that babies were able to sleep for so long, especially when they’re the main ones waking the parents up with their yells and cries for attention. Regardless, Ian loved seeing the peacefulness in his son’s tiny, little face when he was in a deep slumber.

The raven-haired baby frowned upon hearing his father’s soft voice, and it brought so much joy to Ian’s heart. The redhead brought his hands into the crib, carefully picking the baby up and cradling him in his arms. Blue eyes ultimately met green, prompting a wider smile on Ian’s face.

“Did you have a good night’s sleep?” Ian cooed, taking one hand and caressing Isaac’s cheek with it. The baby yawned in his arms, its little limbs waving in every direction to get the tension out of his tiny muscles. Once he had Ian’s full attention, he sat up a little bit and reached one of his hands for Ian’s cheek.

Ian loved Isaac so much. He was one of the two delights he and Mickey shared in the little house of theirs. They only had Isaac for about a year, not as long as four and a half-year-old son Max, but it had been a great year at its best. He was always the little ball of energy house guests were welcome to. Mandy, Debbie, and Fiona had to have came over about more than fifty times within the past year alone. In retrospect, it was good for Ian and Mickey since they had a few available babysitters in town.

A smile etched on Isaac’s face as little sounds escaped his mouth. It sounded like he was trying to speak to Ian, but it wasn’t really clear. Both Ian and Mickey have been teaching him how to speak for about a week or so, and he seemed to be getting the hang of it, despite the fact that he wasn’t really talking just yet.

Truth is, Ian and Mickey had a lot of things to teach the little guy – how to talk, how to walk, how to write, how to use the big boy toilet. Fiona reminded them that babies usually learn these things at different times, so they had to be patient about it. Ian, however, got a little excited about these things, and he was always willing to go ahead one step whenever he could.

“He awake yet?” Ian’s focus drifted from the infant in his arms to the man standing in Isaac’s bedroom doorway.

Mickey walked further in the room, his eyes stuck on his husband with the little baby in his arms. He already prepared some warm milk in a baby bottle to feed to the little guy when he was wide awake enough to take it. Once he was close enough to see Isaac’s face, Mickey reached a hand out to rub his head gently. “First time in a while we didn’t have to wake up to him wailin’ his little butt off in the middle of the night.”

Ian laughed, rubbing the side of Isaac’s little body. “I guess he’s trying to tell us how much he’s growing up.”

Mickey inched an eyebrow on his forehead. “Is he _telling_ us, or he _blabbing_ to us? I would remember him sayin’ _dada_ and all that shit by now.” At the sight of Ian covering Isaac’s ears, Mickey just rolled his eyes at the older man.

“Fiona said it takes a while for him to speak.”

“No, she said babies talk at different times.” Mickey scoffed as he mumbled, “switchin’ around her words and sh –“ Ian pinched him on the neck, making the shorter man jump out of his own skin. “Jesus, Ian!”

“Would you want Isaac’s first word to come from a selection of words from your vulgar dictionary?”

Mickey shrugged. “Sure, why not? He could scare the preschoolers someday with it.”

Ian deadpanned him for a good five seconds, and Mickey started to laugh himself at his own joke. It was Ian’s turn to roll his eyes before they fell upon the little baby in his arms. Mickey eventually leaned his chin against Ian’s shoulder and watched as Isaac looked between his two fathers in curiosity and amazement.

“Hey, little man,” Ian started up again. “You hungry?” All he received in response were a couple of gurgles from the baby’s mouth. “Papa has your bottle. You want it?” Ian smiled as Isaac started to lightly clap his hands together and giggle in Mickey’s direction.

Ian turned around and carefully handed the baby over to Mickey. He was still getting used to the whole father thing, despite the fact that the couple already had another kid who once was a baby like Isaac is now. Ian just seemed more used to it. He lived in a household full of kids, more than half of them being younger than he was. Mickey came from a household full of brothers and one little sister, but she was only a year younger than he was. How would Mickey even teach Mandy how to speak at two years old?

Mickey awkwardly held Isaac in his arms. The baby was now leaning his tiny head against Mickey’s chest, glancing up at his biological father and reaching a hand up to touch his chin. The baby bottle was a little warm in Mickey’s left hand, so he decided to feed the little boy before it got too cold. “Ay,” he greeted, bringing the bottle close to Isaac’s mouth. “You want some of this?”

Ian’s smile was still on his face even when Mickey lowered the bottle and Isaac made a grab for it with his tiny fingers. The two quietly listened as Isaac drank the milk out of the bottle, Ian occasionally reaching a hand to rub at Isaac’s back and softly scratch at his little head.

“He’s fast, ain’t he?” Mickey commented, keeping the bottle angled with his left hand as he watched the amount of milk decrease inside.

“Takes after his father.”

“Shut up.” Ian laughed again, kissing Mickey on the cheek and smirking at the blush that appeared on his face.

A couple of seconds later, Mickey removed the bottle from the baby’s mouth and placed it on the dresser by the wall. He rubbed Isaac’s back gently and rocked him back and forth in his arms. “You’re a little hungry guy, aren’t ya?” Mickey asked, looking down at the baby’s tiny, blue eyes. Isaac puffed his little cheeks as he kept his eyes on Mickey’s, making Ian cover his smile with his hand.

How Mickey didn’t notice it, Ian wasn’t sure, but it made him laugh every time, especially when the tattooed man would eventually smell something funny after he fed Isaac his morning bottle.

When the smell was prominent enough, Mickey paused and kept his eyes on Isaac’s, a frown appearing on his forehead. His nostrils got the stench soon enough, and that was when Ian started laughing. His previous composure was long gone at the sight of Mickey’s disgusted facial expression.

“Jesus Christ,” Mickey muttered out. He made an attempt to cover his nose with his arm but failed. “Peanut, was it really that bad?” The baby just giggled, his hands reaching back up to Mickey’s face.

Ian shrugged off to the side, turning around and making his way towards the bedroom door. “You got him up anyway,” he casually responded, trying not to laugh anymore than he already has. Mickey turned around towards him, his shoulders slumping as Ian walked away.

“That’s all you gotta say?” Mickey asked, his face still scrunched up at the smell of Isaac’s dirty diaper.

“It was your turn anyway, Mick.”

Mickey rolled his eyes once Ian was out of the room. _Asshole_.

* * *

“Isaac,” Max told his baby brother as he made his way over to him in the living room. They had a bunch of toys out in front of them, only the ones Isaac could play with without choking on any stray pieces. “Hey, Isaac.” Max tried again, reaching for the pile of blocks with colored letters on them. “Look at me,” he attempted getting his attention, placing the blocks in order to spell out his name.

When he was done, he crawled over to the baby by the couch, pointing to the blocks on the floor in front of them. “You see, Isaac?” Max spoke. “M-A-X. That’s my name.” His finger pointed to the next set of blocks right next to the M, the A, and the X. “And that’s your name. I-S-A-A-C.”

Isaac didn’t say anything; he just grabbed the Elmo doll off the floor and put his mouth around the eye.

Mickey came in the room a couple of seconds later, observing the clutter all over the living room floor. “Max,” he spoke, and the redheaded boy looked up at his father. “You gotta clean this up. We’re having guests for lunch.”

Max pouted. “But I was teaching Isaac how to spell his name.”

Mickey looked between Max and Isaac and started to chuckle, bending down to pick Max up off the floor. “He needs a little more time, man,” Mickey told him, tousling Max’s red hair. “He can’t even speak yet. You think he would know what those letters are?”

With a bow of his head, Max reluctantly replied, “no.”

For a brief moment, Mickey swayed a bit, trying to cheer Max up a little bit, even if he wasn’t taking it so well. He placed a kiss on his temple before running his fingers through his hair some more. “He’s gonna talk someday. The two of you will be makin’ forts and playing Spiderman and all that when the two of you get a little older, and by then, you’ll forget how long it took you to wait until he even said one word.”

Mickey understood how Max was feeling. Before Ian and Mickey made the decision to have another child, Max was the only one. They took him to the park and stuff like that to meet other kids, but other than that, he didn’t have any friends. That could definitely change once Max was in preschool, but until they reached that point, Ian just left Max with a babysitter, oftentimes Mandy, until he and Mickey got home from work.

“Can I show him my airplane?” Max asked innocently, tugging at Mickey’s shirt.

“As long as you don’t let him put in his mouth, alright?” Mickey warned, tapping Max on the nose. “The only time I wanna go back to the hospital is for check-ups and all that good stuff. I don’t want one of you dying on us or anything like that.”

Max nodded. “Okay.”

With a final kiss on the forehead, Mickey placed Max back on his feet. “You really need to clean this up, though. Auntie Mandy’s coming over, remember?”

All of a sudden, Ian’s little spawn perked up at the sound of Mandy’s name from Mickey’s mouth. “Auntie Mandy!” he cheered, and just like that, he was already dragging the clear bin to the middle of the floor to pick the toys up off the floor. Mickey smiled at him, realizing that his charm with the little guy seemed to work every time.

Then his eyes fell upon Isaac, who still had his mouth on the Elmo doll in his arms. Mickey walked over and picked him up off the floor, slowly pulling the doll out of Isaac’s mouth.

“Ay,” he cooed at his little baby, “that’s not for eating, you hear?” The baby started making random sounds, his hands still on the doll and his eyes up at his father’s. “Lunch will be ready soon, okay?” He grinned as Isaac rested his head against Mickey’s chest, continuing to make more baby noises and stick his bottom lip out.

* * *

“What have you butt munchers been up to?” Mandy asked Ian and her brother upon entering the house, her eyes falling down to Isaac and Max on the living room floor. She smiled like she just saw the sun in the center of Ian and Mickey’s living room and went to kiss Max and Isaac on the tops of their heads. “Hi there,” Mandy greeted them, picking Isaac up and adjusting him on her hip.

Mickey scoffed and turned on his heel towards the kitchen. “How enthusiastic.” Ian smirked, watching Mickey check to see if the food was ready, and he went to pick Max up and swing him around a little bit.

“Hey, buddy.” Ian spoke to his son. “You ready to eat?”

Max cheered. “Yeah!”

“Alright, go wash your hands, and we can eat in the dining room together. Okay?” And with that, Max was running out of the living room into the bathroom.

Once everyone was washed up and ready to eat, they all sat at the dinner table and dug into the salad, pasta, and pizza rolls Ian and Mickey had prepared together. As everyone ate, Mandy started talking about the promotion she got at the business firm she currently works at. Her pay increased by about twenty-five percent, and she received a bonus about three days before.

Coming from a family that wasn’t all too family oriented, Mickey didn’t offer as much praise as one would suggest. That didn’t stop him from being proud of his younger sister. She had a stable job she enjoyed and was making a living for herself. Years before now, Mickey wouldn’t even peg anyone from the Milkovich family to be as successful as he and Mandy were right now. Fate was a helping hand to both of them over the years, and Mickey wouldn’t have asked for anything better.

Ian had a wide smile on his face as he leaned over next to Mandy and hugged her as tightly as possible. “That’s awesome, Mands,” he congratulated her. “I’m so proud of you.”

Mandy blushed. “Thanks, Ian,” she responded. “My boss said I was one of the hardest-working employees there, and I didn’t seem to notice.”

“I don’t even have to see your other employees to know that,” Ian stated, and Mandy playfully rolled her eyes.

From where he was sitting, Isaac clapped his tiny hands and smiled at the adults in front of him. He made a few baby noises that Ian, Mickey, and Mandy quickly picked up on. “You hear that, bud?” Ian cooed, running his hand through Isaac’s hair. “Your auntie got a promotion. You happy for her?” Isaac just giggled in response.

Mandy reached over and rubbed her thumb on Isaac’s cheek, which was now a little stained with tomato sauce. “The little guy’s sweet,” she stated, biting her bottom lip as Isaac made a move to grab one of Mandy’s fingers, “even if he’s a little messy.”

Ian giggled. “He’ll be picking up a fork and spoon eventually,” he replied, placing his utensils down and picking up the tiny, red plastic fork from Isaac’s plate in front of him. “Until then, he’s gonna keep spilling food all over the place.”

As Ian fed Isaac his food, Mandy turned her head towards Mickey, who had been playing with the pasta on his plate as he took in the sight of his husband getting some food into the baby’s system. Mandy placed a hand over Mickey’s trembling one on top of his knee. “You alright?” Mandy whispered so Ian, Max, and Isaac wouldn’t overhear.

Mickey nodded, frowning just a bit. “Yeah. Why?” He finally took some of the pasta and put it in his mouth.

Mandy shrugged. “Not sure. You seem just off.”

Mickey shrugged back. “Busy work week.” When he received a knowing look from his sister, he rolled his eyes. “I don’t know.”

The hand grabbed a couple of Mickey’s fingers in comfort. “You’re a great dad, Mick,” Mandy whispered, her eyes on her brother’s. How she suspected what was on Mickey's mind, Mickey wasn't exactly sure. Either way, it pierced through him like a goddamn staple, and it was getting to Mickey a little too easily. “Remember what Ian said –“

“I know, but –“

“Someone say my name?” Ian asked, turning away from Isaac once he got all of the sauce off his mouth.

Mandy looked between Ian and Mickey and shook her head. “Nothing. Just random stuff.” She and Mickey continued eating their food. Ian cast Mickey a look that he ignored, and then Ian just continued feeding himself and his son before Max started another conversation.

* * *

After lunch, Ian was playing a board game with Max in the living room. Mickey and Mandy were in Isaac’s bedroom, cradling the baby to sleep after washing him up and getting him in a clean diaper.

Well, Mandy was the one cradling Isaac to sleep; Mickey was just watching the scene from afar.

Mandy was singing Isaac a song to soothe him to sleep, and all Mickey could do was cross his arms in front of his chest and gulp at the sound.

About a year later, and Mickey still couldn’t believe it. That was his baby. He made up, and will grow up to be, a fraction of himself and the traits Mickey had today. That was the scariest thing about Isaac. He’s a Milkovich baby born into the Gallagher-Milkovich family. Sure, he has Ian to teach him what’s right and wrong, but Mickey couldn’t help but think about what could happen in the future. Could he possibly make the same mistakes Mickey previously made?

Mandy rubbed and patted Isaac’s back as softly as she could until she could hear Isaac’s faint snores against her shoulder. She craned her head so she could get a good look at the sleeping baby in her arms before she walked over to the crib. When she got there, her eyes fell upon her brother's. His own eyes averted from hers onto a random toy on the floor. “You okay?”

Mickey shrugged. “Yeah. Whatever.”

Suspecting something running through his mind, Mandy went back to carefully placing the baby in the crib before walking over to her brother and speaking with a hushed tone. “We need to talk about what happened at –“

“Not necessary.”

“Mick.”

There it was. There was that tone Mandy often used to get into his head. Ian used it, too, and Mickey somehow ended up giving in when he heard that.

Mickey ran a hand over his face and sighed. He bit his lip when he spotted Mandy’s concerned facial expression. “I’ve…just been thinking…” Mickey started, trying to prevent himself from stuttering, but it was so hard. “A lot of shit’s been going down when I was older than Isaac. Dad told us it was some kind of rite of passage thing, but –“

“Mickey,” Mandy softly interrupted him. “Isaac’s not even ten yet.”

“I know.” Mickey barked back, and silence suddenly fell between them. “I just…” He pinched the bridge of his nose and exhaled. “Ian and I have been trying to get him to speak and all that. Before we know it, he’s gonna be writing a damn storybook, running down the block in under a minute, and ownin’ the damn toilet seat. I just don’t want him to –“

His sister took a couple steps closer to him and placed her hands on his shoulders. How she managed to stay so calm, Mickey wasn’t exactly sure, but he loved that about his sister. He was the one thing in his family, before Ian and the kids came along, that kept him balanced.

“You’re better than Dad, Mick. You’ve always have; you just haven’t realized it yet.”

Mickey bit down on his bottom lip, remembering all the times that his father had either betrayed him or just treated him like shit. There was never a normal holiday in the Milkovich household, and every childhood under that roof was tainted once each of them turned ten years old. It was considered a milestone to Terry Milkovich, but sometimes Mickey wondered what would happen if he had a normal childhood like he was giving Max and Isaac. He also wondered if the possibility of giving Max and Isaac a normal childhood was even doable or not. He loved his sons with all of his heart, and he wanted to make sure that he didn’t turn out like his old man and take care of them like any other father would – take them to the park, dress them up for Halloween and get them candy, tuck them in and read bedtime stories.

But fate had a way of changing things around. Mickey feared fate more than anything. Maybe that’s why he’s feeling uneasy about all of this.

“Max turned out just fine when he was a baby,”  Mandy added.

Mickey scoffed. “He still is a baby.”

“Yeah, one of your babies. Ian’s the biological father, sure; but you two are married now, and you took care of him like any normal dad would. Now look at him. He’s still happy and living life like he should. What’s different about little Isaac? I mean, you’re the one who gave up the sperm this time, but you’re still the same dad you are to Max.”

Mickey allowed Mandy’s words to sink into his head. She actually had a point. Before Max was born, Mickey was worried about how good or bad of a father he would actually be. Hell, he himself started cursing when he was two, thanks to the millions of times his father would say it around him. Luckily, Max didn’t have the same fate; his childhood was still as innocent as ever, and so shall Isaac’s.

At least, that’s what Mickey hoped.

“You’re right.” Mickey quietly agreed, putting his hands in his pockets and training his eyes on the crib. Even with the two Milkovich siblings talking amongst themselves, Isaac was still safe and sound, tucked under his soft, yellow blanket like Mandy had left him. He was so pure, so precious. Mickey never wanted to ruin that.

He was so focused on the little baby in the crib that he didn’t notice Mandy wrap her arms around his upper body, squeezing him for good measure. “Don’t put yourself down, dick face,” Mandy mumbled against Mickey’s shoulder. Some of Mandy’s lipstick rubbed against Mickey’s shirt, but he could care less.

Mickey finally brought an arm around Mandy’s upper back, patted her twice, and chuckled. “Not a chance, ass wipe.”

* * *

Sunday morning, Mickey woke up before Ian this time, albeit it was getting closer to the afternoon. He didn’t get much sleep. A couple of times, the baby was either crying or making random baby noises, and Mickey assured Ian that he would get the kid back to bed without a problem.

Truth is, he wanted to spend more time bonding with the little guy before he put him back to bed. Ian would have been against it since it’s way too late for Isaac to be awake, but after his conversation with Mandy the other day, Mickey felt like he had a stronger connection with the infant and wanted to cherish it for a little while longer. Soon, he would be walking and talking on his own like Max, and soon after that, he’ll be old enough to make new friends and make new adventures for himself outside of Ian and Mickey’s home. Mickey couldn’t wait for that, but at the same time, he wanted his little baby boy to himself.

After washing his face and brushing his teeth, he walked into Isaac’s room, and sure enough, the little guy was awake again. He gripped onto the bars of his crib with his tiny hands and grinned in Mickey’s direction, a sight that Mickey would never get tired of.

“Ay there, peanut.” Mickey greeted with a smile on his face as he walked over to the crib and picked the baby out of the crib, keeping him wrapped in the yellow blanket to keep him warm. Isaac giggled and reached his hands up at Mickey, and Mickey leaned down to press a kiss against Isaac’s cheek. “You must have slept better than your papa did, huh?”

Isaac gazed directly into Mickey’s eyes, and he incoherently started mumbling some noises from his little mouth that sounded like he was trying to say “Papa.” Mickey knew he was getting closer to saying the exact word, but like he and Ian told Max, it would take some time.

Speaking of Ian, the redhead entered the room and joined Mickey and Isaac by the crib. He sat down on the rocking chair and eyed the baby in Mickey’s arms. “He awake already?” Ian asked, impressed.

“Couldn’t stop thinking about us, I guess.”

Ian reached his arms up for the little baby, and Mickey handed it to his husband before kneeling down on the floor on Ian’s right side, wanting to keep his eyes on their little miracle. “Hey muffin,” Ian cooed, a wide smile on his face as he caressed Isaac’s little chin. Mickey laughed lightly at that. Ian had a way with kids. “Good mornin’, sweetie. You miss Papa and Daddy already?”

Mickey inched his tattooed _U_ finger closer to Isaac’s hand and let him grab it and play with it for a little bit. As he did so, he watched as the little boy blubbered out _Papa_ and _Daddy_ , but still not at the level of actually speaking. The older, raven-haired man encouraged him by rubbing his head gently with his other hand. “Come on, bud. You can do it.”

Ian smiled at Mickey before he smiled back at the little boy in his arms. It was then that they simultaneously whispered, “Papa…Daddy…” in an effort to get the sound of their informal names in Isaac’s memory.

About a couple of seconds later, the blue-eyed baby looked at them and clearly spoke. “Papa. Daddy.”

Ian and Mickey’s smiles grew wide at the sound of Isaac’s speaking voice. “You did it,” Ian cheered quietly, leaning down to kiss the infant on the forehead. Mickey kept his grin plastered on his face, internally thanking every God out there that this little milestone for Isaac worked as planned. “I’m so proud of you, baby.” Isaac giggled in response.

The couple enjoyed the moment for a little while longer, listening as Isaac continuously said their names over and over again. Then Mickey sighed. “Now if we can only teach him something else.”

Ian frowned in Mickey’s direction. “He literally just started talking twenty seconds ago,” he replied. “What’s the rush?”

A moment didn’t even pass until a familiar, unwanted stench came about in the area. That was when Mickey got up off the floor and headed out the baby’s room. “That.”

Ian deadpanned his husband until he was fully out of view, and his eyes fell down to the little baby in his arms as he shook his head. “Papa’s right, little man,” Ian sighed, “it’s about time for some potty training, am I right?” He kissed Isaac in his black hair and set him up in the changing station.

**Author's Note:**

> I got a little bored and wanted to write some sweet "first word" fics for this little guy.


End file.
